Lock control.



C. P. BURT.

LOCK CONTROL.

APBLIGATION FILED APR. 27, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

fi/mrlea f? [jz/rf C. P. BURT.

LOCK CONTROL.

APPLICATION rum) APR. 27, 1912.

1,064,608, Patented June 10,1913.

uvmlroz fl/mrieqf? Fart 1M 6mm CHARLES I. BURT, 0F ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

LOCK CONTROL.

T 0' all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. BURT, a citizen of the United States,residin at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and tate of Georgia, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Lock Controls, of which thefollowing is a specification.

It is well known that, in bringing a power driven vessel to astandstill, such as when coming to anchor or into a dock, frequentsignals are passed between the officer in charge on deck and the oflicerlocated in the engine room. These signals, which are made for thepurpose of indicating to the engineer the rate of speed at which it isdesired to have the motor turn in a certain direction, are, in manycases, made in rapid succession. Thus, while the engine is turning inone direction a signal may be given to the engineer to cause the engineto turn in a reverse direction and, just after the parts have beenarranged to enable the motor to turn as indicated, this last signal maybe followed by a signal to have the motor turn as at first. Now, in theoperation of what is known as reversing, the valves are arranged in newor different positions with respect to those which they previouslyoccupied and while effecting this new arrangement, it is frequentlynecessary to have recourse to what is known as jockeying. This jockeyingis invariably made use of when, with the motor running in one direction,a signal is made to run in the reverse direction and the operation,which consists in oscillating the reversing lever between what is knownas the neutral point and the point where it must be moved in order toarrange the valves in the positions desired, is performed chiefly forthe purpose of admitting steam to the proper end of the cylinder.

VVit-h the foregoing in view and when a number of rapidly succeedingsignals are made such as from ahead to astern and then again to ahead,it can be easily imagined how the engineer may. as be frequently does,become mentally confused while jockeying the reversing lever and finallymove the same to a position in opposition to that required.

Heretofore, so far as known, no construction has been provided forpreventing the securing of the reversing lever when adjusted to aposition in opposition to that required. It is true that what are knownas telltales, in the shape of audible sig-v nals, have been proposedand, in some few Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10, 1913.

Application filed April 27, 1912. Serial No. 693,698.

cases, used to indicate when certain controllers and the like have beenerroneously adjusted but these have no control whatever on the operationof the controlling devices and in some instances are renderedpractically useless by the noise of the operating machinery. Thus, theabsence of means for preventing the securing of reversing mechanism whenthe same has been erroneously adjusted, and the impraetioability oftelltales, have led me to provide a device, the general object of whichis to prevent the locking or securing of the reversing mechanism of amotor when this mechanism has been arranged in opposition to a requiredposition. And to this end the invention consists in a device which, ifdesired, may form a part of an engine room telegraph so that when asignal is made to have the motor turn in a required direction the devicewill, in unison with the signaling apparatus, operate to renderinoperative that portion of the reversing inechanisms locking devicewhich is arranged in opposition to the position in which the reversingmechanism must be adjusted in order to comply with the signal.

Other objects will appear and be better understood from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the invention. Fig. 2 is a contractedside elevation. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail sideelevation of the cutout. Fig. 5 is a detail section showing certain ofthe contacts of the reversing quadrant and the means for closing thecircuit. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing certain of thecontactsof the annunciator and the means for closing the circuit.

Tnasmuch as the number and the positions of the various deckannunciators of a vessel depend on the size and type or character of thevessel, such as when the vessel is a man of: war, or a freight or apassenger vessel, I do not deem it necessary to illustrate nor tospecify these various arrangements, since to do so, would not materiallyaid one skilled in the art to a better understanding of my inventionthan may be obtained from the present drawings and description.Therefore, the present arrangement shown in the drawings togetherwitlrthe following description must be taken as simply illustrative of oneembodiment of my invention. And the number, shape and size of the partsshown mayQwithin the scope of the claims, be modified to conform to therequirements of the vessel in which the invention is to he installed.

ln the embodiment shown in Fig. l the device is employed in connectionwith a vessel having only one engine room and one deck annunciator.However, I contemplate the use of this device with a vcssel'having aplurality of deck annunciators connected to a single engine roomannunciator, also with a vessel having a plurality of engine rooms and acommon annunciator for the same connected to one or more of the deckannunciators, and further with a vessel having a plurality of enginerooms each having its own annunciator connected to one or more deckannunciators, whereby, to admit of its being operated either simultaneously with or inde 'iendently of the other engine room annunciators.

in Fig. 1, 1 indicates the telegraph which includes the deck and engineroom annunciators S and 6 which are of usual construction and connectedby the flexible elements 7. in rperating this system and assuming thedial hands are pointing to Stop, the handle 9 of the deck annuuciator ismoved to that panel. of the dial 10 whose legend indicates the requiredspeed. This will have the effect of moving the pointer 11 mounted on thearbor 12 of the engine room annunciator 6, to a legend in one of thedivisions of the dial 123 corresponding to the legend indicated by thehandle on the deck annunciator 5. This done, the operator in the engineroom moves the operating handle 14 around to the pointer lltan-d thismovement of the handle 14 causes the pointer 15 on the deck annunciatorto coincide with the handle 9 thereof. When the pointer of the engineroom annunciator moves as just described an audible or other suitablesignal is made in the engine room and when the pointer on the deckannunciator coincides with the handle, a corresponding signal is made tothose on deck, thus indicating that the signal from deck has beenreceived in the engine room. As the arbor 12 of the engine roomannunciator isturned as previously described, movement is imparted to acutout a which is suitably connected to the arbor 12. The cutout a isadapted, when moved in one direction, to render inoperative or toprevent coaetion between the elements of the lock ing device of thereversing mechanism 1) when the lever 16 of the said reversing mechanismis moved in the same direction as the cutout a and sutliciently far soas to set the valves. If, however, lever is moved in a direction opposedto the direction of movement of the cutout a then coaction of the saidlocking devices will be permitted when the lever is moved suflicientlyfar so as to adjust the valves. The

the adjusting connection between the arbor and the cutout a, is such asnot to materially disturb the position of the cutout a with respect tothe locking device when the pointer 11 on the engine room annunciator ismoved to indi cate the various speeds in one direction, but when theparts are operated so that the engine room indicator is moved to anypanel indicating a certain speed in the opposite direction, then thecutout a will he moved so as to prevent coaction of the-l cking deviceof the reversing mechanism when the lever 16 thereof is moved so as toset the valves in a position which would cause the motive fluid to turnthe motor in the same direction as before the signal to reverse wasmade.

Any preferred form of connection may be established between the arborand cutout a for operating the said cutout in the manner just described.Since the form or type of this connection will depend in most cases onthe relative positions of the engine room annunciator and the cutout a,and also on the number of engine room annuuciators used, I do not intendto limit myself to the specific form of connection about to bedescribed.

Referring now to the drawings the crank 17 is suitably connected to thearbor 12 so as to turn therewith. The crank may be a rranged on anysuitable portion of the arbor such as at one end thereof and bevond oneface or dial of the annunciator. The rod 1-8 connects the crank 17 witha walking beam 19 which turns on an axle 90 connected to any suitableform or support. A link 21 connects the walking beam with the cutout a.The cutout a mav be of any suitable material such as metal and of anysuitable form such as'an inverted A. T he pointed end portion of thecutout a is adapted to turn on an axle 22 and is centered with thequadrant 23 which is rigidly held by any preferred means such as by theaxle Q2. Portions 24- 24 of the end surfaces of the sides 25-25 of thecutout coincide with the outer surface of the curved side 26 of thequadrant 23. The portions 27-27 of the end surfaces of the sides 25-25slope with respect to the portions 2-t24 and act as cams for disengagingthe latch 28 from the keepers or notches 2929 at the opposite endportions of the curved side 26.

The quadrant 23 may be of any preferred type such as that sho vyn n thedrawings, wherein it will be seen that the quadrant is made up of spacedsections between which the reversing lever 16 is secured to any suitable support such as the axle 22 and is adapted to turn independently ofthe cutout a. The keepers 29 of one section of the quadrant aline withthe keepers of the other section and the lower end of the latch 23projects beyond the quadrant. 23, whereby,

to enable the surfaces 24 and27 to contact therewith.

In Fig. 2 the parts are shown as positioned for full speed astern.Assuming now that the vessel is moving astern as indicated and itbecomes necessary to change the direction of progressive movement had bythe vessel to full speed ahead, the oflicer at the deck annunciatoroperates the handle thereof as previously described and this will havethe effect of moving the cutout from the position shown by full lines inFig. 2 to that shown by dotted lines in the same figure. Now it will beobserved that while the cutout is moving to the position shown by dottedlines, one of the surfaces 27 will izontact with the latch 28 and as themovement of the cutout continues the said latch will be disengaged fromits keeper. whereby, and owing to the tendency of the valves to move tothe neutral, the reversing lever will, through its connections with thevalves, be likewise movedtoward the neutral notch or keeper 30. It isassumed, however, that during this automatic movement of the reversinglever the same is not held by the engineer. Now as the surface 27 whichdisengaged the latch, moves beyond the keeper the latch will beprevented from entering the said keeper by the presence of the surface24. This position of the cultout (I. however, will not prevent thejockeying of the reversing lever between the cutout keeper and theintermediate nor between the latter and the keep-er at the opposite endportion of the curved side 26. But after jockeying if the engineer movesthe reversing lever so that the latch thereof will overlie the cutoutkeeper andthen releases the reversing lever. the same will invariablvmove to the neutral notch or keeper 30. This, of course, will indicateto the engineer that he has moved the reversing lever in the wrongdirection so that in order to lock the same he will have to move it tothe keeper remote from the cutout keeper and this last named directionis that in which the lever must be moved in order to set the valves asinferred from the signal. In order to further indicate an erroneousadjustment of the-reversing lever to the engineer and to the oflicer ondeck, I make use of audible signals 36-36 which are, by preference,operated electrically and the circuits of which are closed whenthe leveris adjusted to a position other than that re quired. By preference Iadapt certain of the elements ofrmy invention as previously describedfor closing the electric circuits at predetermined times. Since theparts may be adapted in any suitable manner to close the circuit it willbe understood that the'description of the following construction is I,

simply illustrative of one embodiment of the construction anddisposition of the circuit closing means. The metallic strips cc areconnected to and insulated from the engine room annunciator 6. Thesestrips are suitably connected with a suitable source of electric energy6 and have portions 31-31 insulated from each other as at 32. Thesockets drl on the quadrant 23 comprise spaced metallic portions 3333insulated from each other as at 34. The circuit closer 35 connected tothe reversing lever 16 comprises a metallic plate the ends of whichproject beyond the sides of the lever so that when the parts arepositioned as shown by full lines in Fig. 2 one end portion of thecircuit closer will extend into one of the sockets If and when the leveris moved to an opposite position, the other end of the circuit closerwill enter the other of said sockets.

The bells 36 36 are connected together by conductors 42--42, andconductors 37-37 connect the bells with one jaw of one of the sockets (Zand with a portion of one of the contact plates (1, the other portion ofthe said Contact plate c being connected to the other jaw of the saidsocket by a conductor 38. The bells 36 36 are also connected by means ofconductors 3939 with a portion of the other contact plate 0 and a jaw ofthe other-of said sockets, and the conductor 40 connects the otherportion 31 of the last named contact plate 0 with the other jaw of thelast named socket d.

Now when the contact plates (2 are arrangtdas shown and the crank 17provided with means such as a strip 41 to contact with the portionsilk-31 of the said plates, it will be seen that when the said contactpiece bears, for instance, on the portions 31-31 to the right in Fig. 2and the reversinglever moved to the position shown by full lines in saidfigure, the circuit will he closed and the alarm sounded, thusadditionally indicating an erroneous adjust ment. It will be observed,however. that when the lever is moved to the position shown by fulllines in the said figure the circuit, by virtue. of the position of thecrank 17, will not be closed even though one end of the circuit. closer35 is in the adjacent socket (1. Thus it 'Will be seen that the closingof the circuit not only depends the crank and pointer 11, it is manifestthat the parts can only be locked. and the closing of the circuitprevented when the re versing lever is adjusted as required.

In conclusion it may be stated that al though I :have shown anddescribed the device as adapted for use in connection with a ship,nevertheless, I do not intend to re-

